Serenity
by Chazz-It-Up
Summary: She was sent to court to be a boring lady in waiting, but her new life is anything but. A side story along with Sakura Blossoms. Please read both. Serenity/Seto
1. Chapter 1

This is the go-along story to Sakura Blossoms. Read both please as the third story won't make any sense if you don't.

Disclaimer – I don't own yugioh.

Chapter 1 – Serenity' POV

Soft laughter filtered through the door. Serenity let a smile grace her face as she listened to her younger siblings play in the garden. She herself was sitting in front of a small pond. Bamboo shoots filled the pool and koi wandered around peacefully. Serenity leaned forward letting her hair trail across the water. Tomorrow she would be presented at Akihito's court as a lady-in-waiting. She was a little nervous but over all quite excited for the trip. Serenity pulled away from the pond, a leaf in her hand, and stood up. She grabbed her hair combs and remade up her long hair. When loose it fell in silken skeins down to her thighs, which bothered her greatly. She sighed and wiped her face gently. Though the autumn sun hung low in the sky it was still quite hot outside. She stepped on to the warm earth, baking in the fiery weather, and walked across the garden to her house.

As she entered the modest but well designed building her mother quickly sprang on her, grabbing her arm and dragging her not too gracefully into her own room. There stood another woman, pins in her mouth and layers of clothing across her arm. She smiled through the pins and gestured to a stool set about two feet off the ground. Serenity sighed and pursed her lips into a tiny pout. She looked at her mother but she was of no help. The young girl shook her head, loosing some of her hair out of the combs that held them. Serenity stepped onto the stool and let her garment fall. The kimono dresser smiled and slid one layer of silky fabric onto her. Maneuvering it a little so it hugged Serenity's curves in the right places, she pinned it together. Picking up scissors and a needle pulled through with the same deep purple silk as the sheath Serenity was wearing, the woman began to work.

As she waited for the woman to finish, Serenity hummed quietly to herself a song her mother used to sing to her. The woman clicked her tongue at Serenity and the younger girl smiled sheepishly, a blush running across her cheeks as she turned her deep blue eyes downward. She remembered going to parties with her parents and having people stare at her oddly because of her eyes. When she turned fourteen her mother had told her the truth of her heritage. She wasn't born to Aoi Shinikami like she had assumed; instead, her mother had been a traveling woman from the far west. At first this made Serenity angry but after sitting near her pond for a few hours she eventually came to accept her fate. Her eyes made her stand out in a crowd even when she didn't want to. It wasn't anything she could change no matter how much she wanted.

A sharp prod brought her back to reality. Looking up she realized her mother and the other lady had been staring at her. She blushed again and stepped down, letting the first layer fall down her legs to pool at her feet. She quickly and quietly changed back into her clothing before skipping out of the room. Her last under-layer had been ripped when she decided to spontaneously take a walk through the surrounding forests while wearing it. Serenity couldn't understand why she always felt more peaceful around nature as opposed to around people. She knew that things in nature never discriminated against each other. Nature never went to war with each other. Well, except maybe plants breaking up rocks with their roots but that was the way of nature. Humans, on the other hand, killed just for the sake of doing it.

Following the twisting hallways up to her room she sat on the floor facing the window. She breathed in deeply. The verdant scent of Japan flowed around her and her eyes closed so she could focus better on it. "Tomorrow is the day," she said to herself, and got up after a few moments of deep breathing. She undressed and slipped under the bedding, drawing the covers up to her chin.

Chapter 2 – Serenity's POV

The wagon rocked as it rolled across the bumpy ground. Each time it pitched to the right made Serenity cringe. They were currently going down a twisting dirt path that hugged the huge hill on the left side and fell to the deep waters below on the other. Serenity rode up front with her father as her luggage all but filled the back. She didn't want to leave anything behind while she was away and so, with much arguing with her mother, they had decided to pack almost everything she owned. Mostly this consisted of clothing and various cosmetics to help her at court. Her parents were hoping she would find a rich young cousin of the Emperor and catch his heart. Thinking this, they had bestowed upon her gifts of glorious smelling perfumes and new face paints. She also had gotten a beautiful ivory set of combs to fix up her long hair. These were currently packed in one of the small ornate boxes shoved in the back of the wagon. Serenity yawned and curled up on the seat, staring off into the distance. Her eyes traveled across the river, far in the valley below, and she lost herself into daydreams.

Her head perked up as she watched three people on horseback. They had entered the gate in front of her wagon after breezing pass it in a cloud of dust. One man climbed down from his horse and patted it on the side before hurrying off inside the building. Serenity's father was talking softly to a guard positioned by the gate. Serenity herself was gazing steadily at the other man still on horse-back. He smiled her way before turning back to his female companion, who was just now climbing down from her steed. Serenity watched as the pair hurried away after the first man. The man who had smiled her way turned back at the door inside and gave her a quick wave.

In a few hours Serenity was settled on the outskirts of the Empress's ladies in waiting. She made small talk with a girl about two years younger then her who also had kept to the outer ring. Serenity knew the girl hailed from farther North and her name was Kaneko, but other than that she couldn't remember much. The young Shinikami girl's thoughts were turned toward the mysterious boy who had waved. She had only seen him one other time between arriving at the castle and meeting with the Empress. He had been walking in the opposite direction but had given her another charming grin as they passed each other. The boy had vibrant green eyes and black hair that wasn't set up into a bun because it was cut so that it didn't brush passed his ears. Instead, his hair stuck up in different directions. He had bowed quickly to her before wandering on his way. Ever since that time Serenity could not keep the stranger out of her mind and it was distracting her to the point of madness.

Serenity snapped back to attention as Kaneko touched her arm. She looked around and noticed they were one of the few ladies left in the room. "The Empress left a few moments ago. We can go to rest now if we want, Serenity," the younger girl said in high-pitched squeaking voice. Serenity smiled, bemused, and got off the pillow, wandering towards her room. She slipped into her bedding and blew out her candle before snuggling deep into the blankets. Serenity fell to sleep with the sounds of night birds and Kaneko breathing on the futon across the room echoing in her ears.


	2. Chapter 2

Last section in this story. I promise the third will be a little longer. I feel that even though these stories are short they have a well rounded story line and a pretty good plot.

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Chapter 3 – Seto's POV

Seto was just getting back from a long horse ride through the surrounding countryside. He was stopped at the gate when he had noticed the wagon. No, that's not quite right, Seto mused to himself. He had noticed the wagon when he had passed it in a storm of dust along the road. He had first noted the girl when they were stopped at the gate. She was younger than him, by probably about two or so years. Her blue eyes had settled on him and he couldn't help but smile back at her. He had then slid from his horse and followed Misaki inside. To say Misaki and he were lovers would be stretching it. They were always around each other and he had no doubt that Misaki wanted to be married to him, but he himself did not see much hope in the connection.

Seto had been hurrying on his way to talk to his lordship when he had passed the girl in the halls. Another smile and a bow made a soft blush light up her face. Seto had hurried by with a blush of his own. He had quickly composed himself before walking into his captain's office. He bowed more maturely to his commander and knelt on a cushion beside him. Shuffling through the papers that were on his desk, he nonchalantly asked the man sitting next to him who the new girl was. "She's a new lady-in-waiting to replace the one who was sent home," was the gruff reply. Seto looked over puzzled at his commanding officer and longtime friend, Kaoru. Said man laughed. "One of the ladies-in-waiting was caught with a commoner. She ended up being with child and our Empress sent her home with the idea that all her ladies should be considered pure and untouched." Seto shared in his laugh, knowing the Empress wasn't nearly as pure as she pretended to be so as to appear good to her people. "Not that it's any of our business right?" Kaoru stated, more than hinting that his younger friend should say nothing to no one.

Seto laughed again and set about to his work. His job today was to rifle through the applications of aspiring guards and toss out any that didn't sound good. Seto was usually a very happy and carefree person but he took his work seriously. It made him feel good that the Emperor trusted his judgment when it came to ensuring the safety of his daughter. Seto himself was a personal bodyguard to the princess of Japan. Misaki was a nice enough girl but wasn't exactly what Seto was searching for in a partner. His thoughts drifted back to the shy girl from earlier. He sighed and shook his head to clear it. Kaoru looked over at his friend. "You alright? Did you want to..."

Seto shook his head, this time in response to the other man's questions, "No I'd rather not. Just silly notions and fairy fantasies." Kaoru smiled, knowing not what bothered his friend, but trusting him completely to not let it interfere with his work. After another hour or so, with the only noise in the room being the occasional sneeze or cough, Seto got up and stretched. "Well I'm done for the day. I'm going to have a servant take these letters to prospective employees and have them meet me this afternoon for a little training." Kaoru's face lit up in a grin knowing that more then a few of the potentials would be going home with bruises, and all of them would be aching by tomorrow.

"Just make sure you give them tomorrow off if they do meet your expectations." Instead of answering Seto just matched his smile with one of his own. Whistling softly to himself, he went and did just as he told Kaoru. After dropping off the letters he stopped by the kitchens and grabbed a bite to eat before going to check on his youngest charge.

Chapter 4 – Seto's POV

Hoshi was lightly plucking a _koto_ when Seto entered her chambers. She smiled and got up from her bench. He bowed to her and stood up in time to catch her as she flung herself at him. He smiled softly at her and set her back on the ground. " How is it coming?" he asked. The seven year old girl grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the _koto_. Sitting back down she plucked out a few chords before turning to face him. Seto clapped and the girl's face lit up. Seto didn't mind spending time with Hoshi enjoying Hoshi's calm and shy nature as opposed to her sister Misaki's loud and flirtatious one.

The next day the Empress decided that the weather was far too lovely to be spent indoors. She moved her courtiers out to the sprawling gardens located behind the palace and let them wander around on their own to enjoy the afternoon however they pleased, Seto, the chosen guard on duty for the day, knelt on the ground next to the ornate cushions that the Empress was nestled in. She smiled and laughed with one of her ladies-in-waiting while Seto stifled a yawn, his jade green eyes flickering this way and that in search of a threat. He was pretty sure no one would attack Empress Akihito but that's what a previous guard thought as well, and then the old Emperor was slain on a trip through town. Seto cringed at that memory. He wasn't the one in charge of hiring guards at that point but that was how he got the job. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and stood up with a stretch. He noted the lady-in-waiting's gaze travel up his body as he did so and couldn't help but smile some. His smile grew wider as he noticed Serenity huddled in a small corner of the garden with a few friends close by.

How Seto longed to go over there and introduce himself, but work was work and he wouldn't even dare asked the Empress for permission. Seto watched as Serenity leaned over to say something to one of the other girls; Kaneko was her name Seto remembered after wracking his brain for the information. He sat back on his heels and out of habit glanced around for danger one more time before turning back to Serenity. Her black hair glistened in the afternoon sun and she was dressed for the heat in a light silk kimono of a deep blue color. Probably to match her eyes, Seto noted. The girl suddenly seemed to feel his gaze on her because she looked up at him. Seto ducked his head in a greeting and went back to slowly scanning the perimeter for assassins and the sort.

Frowning, Seto felt eyes on him as well, and he was fairly certain they weren't Serenity's. He looked over his shoulder and then to both left and right sides. The frown lifted into a small smile as the Empress looked him over. She returned the smile and her eyes flickered to Serenity. A deep blush to rival the Empress' silk obi fluttered across Seto's face at having been discovered. The older woman didn't say anything but instead turned back to the lady-in-waiting who in return changed her face from the fierce glare she was giving Serenity to one of serene pleasure at being in Her Majesty's presence.

Chapter 5 – Serenity's POV

Serenity was definitely enjoying herself at court. So far the days had flown by in fits of gossip, grand entertainment for the Empress' enjoyment, and tales of home with the other ladies-in-waiting. Today, though, was quite different, and Serenity was astonished to hear herself admitting to liking the change. They got to the sitting room this morning and were surprised to see Empress Akihito in there before they were. She announced, in that smooth voice of hers, that they were going to spend the afternoon in the garden after she finished up her business with a prominent family official.

Serenity spent the morning squirming in her seat but settled down a little bit after a few well aimed glares from her fellow ladies. She ducked her head and began counting slowly until she felt herself calm down. She, like her siblings, was taught the art of meditation when she was young. She inhaled and exhaled to the count of seven for a few moments before looking up again. Once she was nice and calm she realized the Empress had returned and everyone was moving around, preparing to go greet the sunshine. Serenity jumped up and got in line behind Kaneko. Once in the gardens, the younger girl grabbed her hand and pulled her over to where some of Kaneko's friends were chatting.

Serenity, a little disappointed that she wouldn't be allowed to wander the lush land, crawled into the back corner and laid back on her hands to soak some of the sun in. Around her the small group was captivated by a story Kaneko told about _yokai_. Not just any _yokai_ but the often heard of _oni,_ a very terrible demon that resembled a westerner's ogre. She was just mentioning how the _Oni_ used his kanabo to smash into someone's house when there was a giggle. Puzzled Kaneko looked at one of the other girls. The girl smiled and said, " I bet Seto could be _oni-ni-kanabo,_" (oni with an iron club). Kaneko smiled and readily agreed. Serenity looked at her friend and asked what she meant.

"He's undefeated in the practice arenas or so I've heard." Kaneko was quick to add the last part. The other girls looked at her and with a sly grin Kaneko went on to a tale about how she had been secretly meeting one of the cook's helpers. "Nothing has happened mind you," she said when the girl who had spoken up about the _kanabo_ looked at her sharply, but the "yet" was hanging in the air and everyone knew it. Serenity shook her head and glanced at Seto, knowing he had come out with the Empress. She almost jumped when she noticed that he was looking back at her. He nodded his head in greeting and continued to look around, scanning for potential threats probably. She ducked her own head to hide her smile. "Maybe he's not an _oni _but a _kitsune_ instead?" she said softly, mentioning the _yokai_ that was known to be very mischievous.

Kaneko looked at Serenity and, noticing her blush, nudged her softly. Serenity glanced at the other girl and shook her head before getting up from her perch. Most of the people she knew hated to sit _seizan_ for long periods but she herself didn't mind it. It was relaxing for the most part, though if the floor was hard enough it could hurt she supposed. She stretched then settled back down in the _kiza_ way of sitting before turning her attention back to their talking of _yokai._ She glanced again at Seto  
before turning her back on him so she wouldn't keep staring.

Later that night Serenity was on her way back from the bathhouses when she heard quiet sobbing. Turning a corner the sobbing led her through a doorway and out into the cool night. She wandered around a large tree and came face to face with a boy of about her age on the ground. She knelt down next to him and touched his shoulder. "Why do you cry?" she asked quietly not wanting to startle him. The soft spoken words had the opposite effect and the boy pulled away as if stung. He glared up at her, his cranberry colored eyes shining with anguish in the moonlight. Serenity pulled back as well. Seeing who she was, the boy wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and curled up closer to the trunk of the willow tree.

"I didn't even get to say good bye." The boy said in a voice that trembled slightly. Serenity took a closer look at him and realized not only did he have red eyes but also white hair. She frowned slightly as she thought back to Kaneko's talk of _yoSeto_ but then banished the thought immediately.

"Hi, I'm Serenity," she said with a hopeful smile. The boy returned it slowly and held out his own hand. "I'm honored to meet you. My name is Noa," he said, though he faltered on his words as he tried to hold back sobs.

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The next part of this story will be combined with the last part of Sakura Blossoms into a tale called Kishi Kaisei. I hope you have enjoyed this story.


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